gravitational lens
Cosmic light bender
A gravitational lens is a massive celestial object—typically a galaxy or galaxy cluster—whose gravity bends light from more distant objects behind it, magnifying or distorting their appearance.
The effect, predicted by Einstein's general relativity, allows astronomers to observe extremely distant galaxies that would otherwise be invisible: The gravitational lens revealed galaxies from the early universe.
Gravity as curved spacetime
- space-time curvatureGeometric warping from gravity
- Schwarzschild radiusBlack hole's critical boundary distance
- dark matterLightless cosmic mass
- magnificationDegree of visual enlargement
caustic · convergence · time delay · arc · mass distribution
Redirection of rays
- image distortionWarped visual representation
- magnificationDegree of visual enlargement
- time delayPlanned interval before action
- amplificationIncrease in intensity
Gravitationally linked galaxy group
- dark energyForce accelerating universal expansion
- redshiftWavelength stretch from recession
- superclusterLargest gravitationally bound structures
- distance measurementQuantifying spatial intervals
Orbiting astronomical observatory
- James WebbOrbital infrared observatory
- ChandraSanskrit word for moon
- AtacamaChilean coastal desert
- radio telescopeAstronomical receiver for cosmic waves
deep field · survey · imaging · spectroscopy · photometry · time-domain · follow-up · interferometry
general relativity
Gravity as curved spacetime
- space-time curvatureGeometric warping from gravity
- Schwarzschild radiusBlack hole's critical boundary distance
- dark matterLightless cosmic mass
magnification · caustic · convergence · time delay · arc · mass distribution
light bending
Redirection of rays
- image distortionWarped visual representation
- magnificationDegree of visual enlargement
- time delayPlanned interval before action
galaxy cluster
Gravitationally linked galaxy group
- dark energyForce accelerating universal expansion
- redshiftWavelength stretch from recession
- superclusterLargest gravitationally bound structures
Hubble Space Telescope
Orbiting astronomical observatory
- James WebbOrbital infrared observatory
- ChandraSanskrit word for moon
- AtacamaChilean coastal desert
radio telescope · deep field · survey · imaging · spectroscopy · photometry · time-domain · follow-up · interferometry
- gravitygraviton, escape velocity, gravimeter, weightlessness, gravimetry
- space phenomenastars, black hole, meteors, wormhole, dark energy
- relativityrelativity, spacetime, general relativity, relativity theory, time dilation
- space objectsgalaxy, star cluster, nebula, planet, quasar
- astrophysicsblack hole, neutron star, supernova, black holes, neutron stars
- Black Holesevent horizon, singularity, Schwarzschild radius, supermassive black hole, event horizons
gravitational lensglass lens
Curved transparent focusing element
prism · mirror · telescope lens · camera lens · convex lens
gravitational, gravity, gravitate, gravitation, gravitationally, gravitas, grave, lenses